Connor Reads Books

Author Jann Alexander joins us to talk about her Dust series, including Unspoken and her newer release, Vacancy, and how she builds stories that feel true without getting buried under facts.

We explore why the Texas Panhandle is more than a backdrop. Jann explains what draws her to its flat horizons, drought history, and Dust Bowl legacy, and why it’s such a powerful setting for characters wrestling with loneliness, grief, and the need for connection. 

Subscribe for more author interviews, share this with a reader who loves historical fiction, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Jann's Links: 

https://www.jannalexander.com/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0F2KKHPZ9?ccs_id=62e749d2-f8b4-47f4-8888-dcd5f17ef9ea

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

 We’re reading Chapter 1 of Matt Sean Bell’s sci-fi/fantasy epic The Aidaean Saga, Book 1 Triumph of Destiny. We jump right into the action as the town Dailen has known all his life is decimated. If you love epic fantasy with twists of gothic sci-fi; you’re in the right place.

If you want to support indie fantasy, check the episode notes for Matt Sean Bell’s Etsy link. Please subscribe, share the show, and leave a review so more listeners can find these stories.

Matt Sean Bell's Links: 

• https://www.etsy.com/shop/AidaeanSaga
• https://www.instagram.com/aidaeansaga/
• https://www.pinterest.com/aidaeansaga/
• https://x.com/AidaeanSaga

Voice Actors

Lou Fox:

https://www.instagram.com/bardcommander

Connor McGeverly

https://www.lconnorvoice.com

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

A lot of writers say they want “creative control.” Matt Sean Bell actually lived it. He wrote The Adean Saga, edited it through multiple rereads, built the cover art himself, printed physical copies in batches, and sells direct to readers through Etsy; handling the logistics most authors never see. If you’ve ever wondered what independent publishing looks like when you remove the safety rails, we get into the real workflow, the real time cost, and the oddly satisfying pride that comes with doing it all yourself.

We also dig into craft. Matt breaks down how he blends sci-fi and fantasy without turning the book into a pile of exposition, and how a magic system can feel believable through pseudoscience and consistent world rules. We talk influences like Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Dune, Warhammer 40K, Mass Effect, and more, plus the 600-page worldbuilding reference that started as tabletop notes and grew into a fully realized setting. Along the way, we touch on character voice, brisk pacing, and why making something unique often means accepting that it won’t be for everyone.

If you’re an indie author, a worldbuilder, or a reader who loves hybrid genre stories, you’ll walk away with practical insight and a healthier mindset around persistence, criticism, and finishing the work. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more authors and listeners can find Connor Read’s Books.

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

 We’re closing out our three-part, full-cast chapter read of 'The Songs of Ash and Dawn', Book 2; Chapter 1 "Of Masks and Monsters" by Gabrielle Wanek. 

After dismissing Nic from the temple, Elizabeth cleans up the remains of her spoiled ceremony.  Her loyal servant, Elias, asks what the next steps are for the plan. Elizabeth has a simple answer...

Watch the Episode Here: 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/pKPIYhXCw_o

Voice Actors

Lou Fox:

https://www.instagram.com/bardcommander

Jackie Yangyuen: 

https://www.instagram.com/jlymuse/

https://www.jlymusic.com/voice-acting

Gabrielle Wanek:

https://www.tiktok.com/@gabriellewriter?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/gawanek/?igsh=Z2dxdTd1czRwYnU0&utm_source=qr

Songs of Ash and Dawn:

https://www.songsofashanddawn.com/book

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songs-of-ash-and-dawn-gabrielle-wanek/1148400036

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G21NQQ2P?ref=KC_GS_GB_US

 If you enjoy this kind of fiction podcast storytelling and voice acting, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the series.

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

@Myuu, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiSKnkKCKAQVxMUWpZQobuQ

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

We pick up Part 2 of our Chapter 1 read from The Songs of Ash and Dawn Book 2 by Gabrielle Wanek.. Nick staggers in with news he can barely say out loud: a god, a young witch, and what might be a demigod bested him and ruined his plans. How will his benefactor Elizabeth handle such news? Listen to find out!

Subscribe for the final part of the chapter, share this with a friend who loves fantasy audiobooks and audio drama, and leave a review so more listeners can find the story. What detail from Elizabeth’s plan creeped you out most?

Watch the Episode Here: 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/WeXBAg-B2ck

Voice Actors

Lou Fox:

https://www.instagram.com/bardcommander

Jackie Yangyuen: 

https://www.instagram.com/jlymuse/

https://www.jlymusic.com/voice-acting

Gabrielle Wanek:

https://www.tiktok.com/@gabriellewriter?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/gawanek/?igsh=Z2dxdTd1czRwYnU0&utm_source=qr

Songs of Ash and Dawn:

https://www.songsofashanddawn.com/book

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songs-of-ash-and-dawn-gabrielle-wanek/1148400036

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G21NQQ2P?ref=KC_GS_GB_US

 If you enjoy this kind of fiction podcast storytelling and voice acting, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the series.

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

A gold mask glints in candlelight as a ruined temple fills with chanting and the promise of “purity.” A bound mythos prisoner kneels in the firelit center, chained to stone, and muzzled.

We’re back with a dramatic, voice-acted chapter read from Gabrielle Wanek’s Songs of Ash and Dawn Book 2, and we’re not easing in. This is Chapter 1, and it carries a clear spoiler warning for anyone who hasn’t finished Book 1 yet.

If you love fantasy, indie fantasy worlds, and the kind of narration that makes a scene feel staged and alive, this chapter is built for your headphones.

Watch the Episode Here: 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/WeXBAg-B2ck

Voice Actors

Lou Fox:

https://www.instagram.com/bardcommander

Jackie Yangyuen: 

https://www.instagram.com/jlymuse/

https://www.jlymusic.com/voice-acting

Gabrielle Wanek:

https://www.tiktok.com/@gabriellewriter?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/gawanek/?igsh=Z2dxdTd1czRwYnU0&utm_source=qr

Songs of Ash and Dawn:

https://www.songsofashanddawn.com/book

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songs-of-ash-and-dawn-gabrielle-wanek/1148400036

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G21NQQ2P?ref=KC_GS_GB_US

Listen to Chapter 1 Audio Here:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-27-songs-of-ash-and-dawn-chapter-1-gabrielle-wanek/id1717470807?i=1000740219611

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4DSPJJh98NhmORaZVLUF8H?si=b25ad6e102084f55

 If you enjoy this kind of fiction podcast storytelling and voice acting, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the series.

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

They wanted one clean rush of freedom, one daring swim toward the deep, one moment where the rules couldn’t touch them. Instead, Calistya and Khrystal run straight into Border Patrol, and Chapter 6 of The Solarian Deep turns a teenage act of courage into a system-level warning: you will be watched, labeled, and marched back into place. We’re Connor Reed’s Books, and we perform “Fault Lines” by author David Deane Haskell with Connor narrating and Ruth Ann and Jackie voicing the two leads, giving this cyberpunk sci-fi audiobook chapter the tension and tenderness it deserves.

Voice Actors

RuthAnn Kvamme:

ruthannkvamme.com 

Jackie Yangyuen: 

https://www.instagram.com/jlymuse/

https://www.jlymusic.com/voice-acting

David's Links: 

https://daviddeanehaskell.com/

https://www.instagram.com/daviddeanehaskell/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7171228.David_Deane_Haskell

https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Haskell/author/B00DVBCZ5S?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4011edc2-7c6b-4e23-8d3b-51b5b20c5fae

https://substack.com/@daviddeanehaskell

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

A dead shoreline. A rusted power station. An underwater civilization that has every reason to fear the past; and one stubborn student who can’t stop reaching for it. We’re back with a solo story read from 'The Solarian Deep' by David Deane Haskell. Chapter 5 “Legacies Unearthed” is the kind of post-apocalyptic cyberpunk sci-fi that makes you feel the salt in the air and the risk in every kick of your feet.

Daniela is brilliant, restless, and convinced that old-world infrastructure might hold the key to long-term survival. When her society draws a hard boundary around “dangerous” energy and “approved” progress, she does what curious people always do: she pushes past the boundary. A rare shore-access petition turns into a tense expedition with anthropologists scavenging for human relics and engineers hunting for usable answers.


If you enjoy the ride, subscribe, share the show with a sci-fi friend, and leave a review.

David's Links: 

https://daviddeanehaskell.com/

https://www.instagram.com/daviddeanehaskell/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7171228.David_Deane_Haskell

https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Haskell/author/B00DVBCZ5S?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4011edc2-7c6b-4e23-8d3b-51b5b20c5fae

https://substack.com/@daviddeanehaskell

Music Credits for chapter 5

https://www.youtube.com/@WhiteBatAudio

Cinematic Documentary Drone by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / Slow Motion

Blanket of Stars - Royalty Free 80s Retro Synth *No Beat* (Copyright Safe)

Atmospheric Sci-Fi Synthwave - Distant Planet // Royalty Free No Copyright Background Music

Background Video

Free Underwater Background Video Loop 4k  - Relaxing underwater video  - Royalty Free Vj Loop

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

This week, I sit down with David Deane Haskell to talk about the long arc of becoming an author, from finding his voice through music to discovering that fiction and nonfiction can both be a way to be seen, understood, and connected.

We explore David's experience in the indie publishing grind, and what the Kindle era taught a lot of writers the hard way: overnight success is rare, and craft takes time. David shares what influences still guide him today, his burst-based workflow, and using dictation to write.

David talks about a multi-year stretch where healing was the priority, and how the floodgates reopened with richer characters and sharper themes. That shift shows up in The Solarian Deep, a story that starts with an undersea premise and grows into science fiction with dystopian edges, identity and transformation, social pressure, and the divide between “us” and “them.” We also talk about building an online presence, the real risk of internet cruelty, and the very real rewards of putting yourself out there.

If you enjoy author interviews, science fiction craft talk, and honest conversations about creativity in public, you’ll get a lot out of this one.

 Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more readers and writers can find us.

David's Links:

https://daviddeanehaskell.com/

https://www.instagram.com/daviddeanehaskell/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7171228.David_Deane_Haskell

https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Haskell/author/B00DVBCZ5S?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4011edc2-7c6b-4e23-8d3b-51b5b20c5fae

https://substack.com/@daviddeanehaskell

The Men of the Mountain

Purchase the Book Here!! => Audible Link

Review Signups: 

https://forms.gle/dBNywczwCG72HXt9A

Drew Harrison's Links: 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Drew-Harrison/author/B09PJWGGF2?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22160775.Drew_Harrison

https://drewharrisonbooks.wixsite.com/home

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request. 

One moment Edgar is walking beside the sea, hand in hand with his wife, cherry blossoms drifting like soft pink snow. The next, the music cuts out, the city is silent, and the face beside him is no longer hers. “The Vanishing Lightning” is our full audio drama performance of Qualia Reed’s haunting science fiction short story, where love, memory, and survival collide in a world that has already ended.

Content Warnings: 

Depictions of struggles with Dementia

Violence

Blood

Elderly in Peril

Children in Peril

Qualia’s Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/qualiareed/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Qualia-Reed-Author-100087126994657/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22862775.Qualia_Reed

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BDTHJ3RP?ingress=0&visitId=f4b89a39-4ecd-4d9f-b56e-3821adbdf036

Listen to Ursus Aeternus!

https://www.audible.com/pd/Ursus-Aeternus-Audiobook/B0CNL37SPH

Voice Actors

RuthAnn Kvamme - Laura 06

ruthannkvamme.com 

Jackie Yangyuen - Isis

https://www.instagram.com/jlymuse/

https://www.jlymusic.com/voice-acting

Connor McGeverly - Narrator, Edgar, News Anchor

Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

All other music and sound effects in this performance are copyright free and royalty free. Links and lists can be provided at request. 

The Men of the Mountain

Purchase the Book Here!! => Audible Link

Review Signups: 

https://forms.gle/dBNywczwCG72HXt9A

Drew Harrison's Links: 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Drew-Harrison/author/B09PJWGGF2?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22160775.Drew_Harrison

https://drewharrisonbooks.wixsite.com/home

Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:

L. Connor Voice - Website

https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A

Music Credits: 

Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/

Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request.